The Beginning of the ENDD - Book One of the ENDD Chronicles
by Qrow-Whistler
Summary: One fateful night changes a boy's life. Ever since his parents died, Dranik Evans has seen only death around him. Why?, he always asked himself. As he sets on a journey for answers, he learns the dark secrets of the world of Remnant...
1. Prolouge

Over the course of history, it is said that the Grimm grow smarter after each successful attack. They grow stronger. Some even say that they evolve. What if they did evolve, though? What if it got to the point that we could stare one in the face and not be able to tell friend from foe? Oum pray that Remnant should never find out…

Lynn Evans finished writing in her journal. She leaned back and sighed. _The hard part is done. Finally._ Lynn was planning out a book. This book was her own theory. A theory that there were Grimm, creatures of darkness, walking around, unbeknownst to the people of Remnant. There wasn't solid proof of course, but she could feel it. She knew that she was right.

A loud shriek suddenly jolted Lynn out of her thoughts. She quickly got up and followed the sound to the source. They were coming from a baby boy in a crib, her baby boy. She picked up her crying son, rubbing his back to comfort him.

"Shh, shh," shushed Lynn softly. "Dranik, you might wake your father." She sat down in a little rocking chair in the corner of her son's room. Rocking back and forth, she held Dranik until he went back to sleep. After she put him back into his crib, she went to her room. Trying to softly lay down in her bed, Lynn suddenly heard a low mumble.

"Rough night?"

Her husband of five years, Nik Evans, sat up on the bed. He looked at her.

"No, not really," she said, slowly shaking her head. She laid down. "Just need a bit of rest. I still have a bit of work to do."

Cuddling up to his wife, Nik replied, "You should get some sleep. Oum knows you need it."

"Nik, you know I can't. Between the baby and my work, I have no time for sleep."

"Lynn."

Nik sat up. He was serious now. "You're overworking yourself. You have bags under your eyes. You hardly eat anymore. We hardly get any time together, as a family."

"Nik, what's wrong with sacrificing the present to better the future? Don't you see, if he get the proof, the proof he asked ME to get, then we might, just might, have a lead towards…"

A shattering sound echoed through the house, like that of a window breaking, followed by Dranik's wails. Nik and Lynn jumped out of bed and grabbed their swords. "Go grab Dranik. I'll checkout what the noise was," Nik said to his wife. She nodded as they went their separate ways.

By the time Nik made it to the living room, where the noise originated, Lynn and Dranik were with him. Weapon in hand, Nik called out, "Who's there?"

No response. "Who's there?"

Suddenly, all Nik could see in the dark room was a pair of glowing dark red eyes. "Who the heck are you?" he asked, almost snarling out the question.

The only response was a snapping sound. At that, a red circle with an eye in it materialized. Out of it came a figure with approximately six glowing red eyes and a glowing gold tail tip. A Deathstalker.

"Lynn, get Dranik out of here. Now!" he barked.

Then, in the blink of an eye, all hell broke loose. The Grimm jumped at Nik, who dodged out of the way. After setting Dranik down, Lynn joined in the fray. "Lynn, what are you doing?"

"Buying you time. Get it's tail."

Being distracted, said tail suddenly impaled Lynn and threw her to the side. "No!" Nik bellowed. He maniacally swung at the Grimm, dodging and parrying every attack he could. Finally, he cut off it's tail, but when he made the killing blow, the Deathstalker grabbed him with it's pincers, breaking his rib cage, one rib impaling his heart.

Nik fell to the floor. As he lay there dying, he saw the glowing red eyes again, this time over his son. The eyes were accompanied by a singular glowing yellow one.

The last thing Nik heard before he finally went unconscious was a female voice.

"Let the games begin."

* * *

Well, ladies and gentlemen. Here is my first attempt at a RWBY fanfic. Let me know what you guys think. If I get enough positive reviews, I'll post the next chapter. Also, after the first two chapters, this one included, the length will get longer. Thank you all.


	2. Whispers

It was a quiet night in Mistral. Barely anyone was outside. Not that anyone wanted to, anyway. It was the anniversary. The fifteen year anniversary of the death of the most loved couple in the neighborhood, the Evans. No one knew what happened, only that when the Huntsman arrived on the site, there were on the bodies of a smaller Deathstalker and the older Evans bodies. The sole survivor of this event was Dranik Evans, their son.

After these events, the Huntsman, by the name of Qrow Branwen, took Dranik to his only relative, his grandfather. Ever since then, for the past fifteen years, he lived peacefully with his grandfather. Well, as peacefully as the sole survivor of the first in-wall Grimm attack since the Great War is allowed.

When Dranik turned seven, his favorite teacher passed away. It hit Dranik hard. It was the first time he actually understood death. For weeks, he cried non stop. A few years later, his best friend died.

"Dranik," his grandfather said one day. "Sometime, people leave us without saying good-bye. It's always better to let go and keep going."

He just shrugged it off and never responded. Now, on this night, Dranik was crying again. His grandfather was dying.

"Grandpa," he said, holding his hand. He looked into his grandfather's eyes, squeezing his hand. "Please, just hold on a bit longer. You can make it through this."

"Dranik. Remember what I told you? At least I'll… *cough* I'll be able to say goodbye."

Dranik smiled slightly, holding back a tear. "But you don't have to go, Grandpa. Stay here, don't go…"

"My boy, it's my time. *cough* You have to let go. Let me go."

"But.." It was too late. With one final cough, his grandfather passed over into the next life. Crying, Dranik bowed his head, still holding his grandfather's hand. He sat there crying until he fell asleep.

He woke up to the sound of paramedics rushing through the house, taking his grandfather's dead body out of the house. While they were doing this, he grabbed his jacket and left the house. They attempted to stop him, but he just kept walking. _I can't take this anymore_ , he thought to himself. _Everyone I love or get close to dies._

As he was walking down the path, he saw a shadowy figure. Suddenly, his head started to hurt. _Don't fret, young one,_ said a voice in his head. _Everything happens for a reason_. _Nothing happens by chance. None of this is your fault._

"What do you want?" Dranik whispered to himself.

 _From you, nothing. From the world, everything._

"What does that mean? You make no sense."

 _Patience is a virtue, young one. All in due time._

During this conversation, Dranik continued to follow the figure. Eventually, he caught up with him.

"Who are you?"

"No one that you need to know just yet." The figure grabbed his throat and threw him off to the side, knocking him out. When he finally came to, he got up and ran to his house, scared. Yet, when he got there, his house wasn't there. In its place was a pile of burnt wood. Falling to his knees, Dranik began to cry yet again. In less than twenty-four hours, he had lost his grandfather, and his only home.

* * *

 _Kill her. Kill her. Kill her._

 _Stop it. Shut up._

Dygmann Aquino was having this argument inside of his head with a voice he only met less than twenty-four hours ago. He was at a dinner party at the Schnee Residence. Around him were a bunch of businessmen and women. The only reason he was there was due to the fact that his aunt was "friends" with Jacque Schnee, head of the Schnee Dust Company.

 _Kill her. Kill the little Schnee. She will only bring you great harm in the future._

The Schnee in question was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. He didn't understand why the voice was telling him to kill her, but he was tempted to listen. The Schnees were a bunch of lying, stealing, two-faced crooks, and used Faunus labor. While Dygmann wasn't the biggest fan of the half-animal, half-human race of people, he didn't like the way the S.D.C. treated their workers.

Stealthily grabbing a steak knife off of a table, he walked towards Weiss. As he approached her however, a firm hand grabbed his wrist.

"Now, I'd put that knife down kid, that is, if you want to keep your hand"

Dygmann looked up. The person speaking was a boy of roughly his own age, fifteen. He had pitch black hair and dark grey eyes.

 _One of little princess's bodyguards._

He took the knife from Dygmann. "I'd get going if I were you."

Quickly walking away, he thought to himself. _Maybe next time..._

* * *

Hey guys. Around here, I go by Qrow. Not Branwen. Just Qrow. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy this, and be sure to follow me and my buddy RedDragonEmperor for more great stories. Also, don't get used to the frequent chapter. Starting Wednesday, it will be weekly chapters. Let me know what you guys think and if you'd like to see your favorite character in here or have a OC of your own make an appearance, don't hesitate. Thank you all!


	3. Visions

"Oi, boy. Get up."

Ekiyo Tokugawa slowly got up from his ged. Being fifteen and in foster care wasn't easy for him. He looked over. His foster father was a big burly wolf Faunus of about thirty-two years of age.

"I said, get up."

"I heard you the first time, geez."

"Don't you disrespect me, boy. I took you out of that damned orphanage, I can throw you right back in."

Not wanting to start a fight, Ekiyo just got up and got dresses, then headed downstairs. His foster mother was cooking breakfast. She was human, and the polar opposite of her husband. She was the most kind and caring person he had ever met, and though she wasn't his mother, he loved her like she was.

"Hey, Ekiyo. I made your favorite. Chocolate pancakes, bacon, and hash-browns."

"Thanks, Mom."

He always called her Mom. After his own mother had lost him and his siblings due to alcoholism, he had given up all hope on her. So, when kind Mrs. Akigawa took him into her home, he immediately loved her.

Mr. Akigawa sat down at the table with him, glaring at him.

"So, boy, you make your weapon yet?"

"No, I haven't yet."

"Better step up the hustle, can't let you use the dummy weapons forever. Though, you probably do as much damage with them as a real one, probably as good as your deadbeat da…"

Immediately, Ekiyo jumped across the table and started strangling Mr. Akigawa .

"Don't speak about my father like that! You have no right to say that!"

"Ekiyo, get off of him!"

Slowly losing his rage, he heard Mrs. Akigawa's voice. He got off of Mr. Akigawa, and offered his hand out to him apologetically. He swatted his hand away. He stood up and starting wiping the blood away from where Ekiyo's nails had broken the skin.

"You're lucky I'm not going to press charges, boy. Now, get off to school before I change my mind."

"But, breakfast…"

"I said, go!"

With that, Ekiyo quickly grabbed his bag and made him way to combat school. During design class, he was looking through a weapon book. As he was doing this, he heard a voice.

 _You should've killed him._

"Who said that?" Ekiyo said very loudly.

"Ekiyo, is there something you would like to share with the class?" The teacher asked.

"Umm, no. Sorry, won't happen again."

He quickly ducked his head back into his book trying to avoid embarrassment. He heard the voice again. _I'm part of you. I am you._

 _What do you mean?_ He thought.

 _I mean, I'm the part of you that has no control, that wants to rid the world of the people you hate, including insolent Mr. Akigawa._

 _I have no idea what you mean._

Then, there was no response. He thought to himself that he must be crazy. Suddenly, when he got to a certain page in the book, the voice said, _That one._

He looked closely at the weapons. On one page were nothing but staffs. On the other, nunchucks.

 _Which one?_

 _Why not have both?_

Over the course of the next week, Ekiyo designed his weapon. When he finally brought it home at the end of the week, Mr. Akigawa asked him what it was.

"It's a staff," he replied.

"That's it? A puny staff was the best you could do?" Mr. Akigawa was soon on the floor laughing.

Suddenly, Ekiyo swung his staff upwards. Mr. Akigawa went flying into the air, then slammed on the floor.

"It also has air Dust crystals on the ends. And," he separated the staff at the middle. "They're also nunchucks. How's that for puny?"

There was no response.

"Mr. Akigawa?"

There was still no response. Ekiyo knelt down next to his body. His veins were thick and purple. He stood up, scared.

"Mom? Mom?!"

He started to panic. What did he do? Did he kill his foster father?

Mrs. Akigawa ran into the room. She gasped. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I… don't know…"

She quickly called the paramedics. They rushed in and examined the body, then they put it in the ambulance.

"We'll give you two a ride if you'd like," the driver said. Ekiyo declined, but Mrs. Akigawa got into the ambulance. He sat in the middle of his room, eyes closed, thinking. Eventually, he fell asleep.

* * *

While he was asleep, he started to dream. He was standing in a dark void. He could hear whispers all around him. Suddenly, a faceless person walked towards him.

"Who are you?"

No response.

"I asked, who are you?"

Again, no response.

Eventually, he was standing face to face with the person. Well, face to darkness, as even this close, he still couldn't see the person's face. Suddenly, as scorpion tail came out from behind the figure.

"I… am your… salvation."

He was stabbed with the tail.

Suddenly, he woke up. He looked around. It was still dark out. He sighed. _It was all a dream._

 _Was it?_ Said the voice in his head. _Look in the mirror._

Confused, he got up and looked at his wall mirror. He yelled really loudly.

Sticking out from behind him was a black scorpion tail. It hadn't been there before. Ekiyo began pacing his room, worried, wondering how he would explain this to Mrs. Akigawa.

"Ekiyo, I'm home!"

 _Crap. What am I going to do?_

"Ekiyo? Are you home?"

"Yeah, yeah I am Mom. I'm bout to come down."

Slowly, he walked downstairs. He heard a gasp.

"Ekiyo, what is that?!"

"Look, Mom, I can explain. The tail…"

"I'm not worried about the tail, I was talking about the drool around your mouth." She suddenly burst into laughter.

"Wait, you're not worried about my tail?"

"No silly. Why would I be? It's been there the whole time."

Then it hit him. It had been, he had just never noticed it…

He pushed that out of his mind. "Anyway," he said. "How's Mr. Akigawa?"

Mrs. Akigawa's face suddenly dropped. "Well… they found poison in his bloodstream. They say it originated at the two puncture wounds on his neck…"

A moment of realization hit Ekiyo. "I… I… I killed him…" he muttered to himself.

Mrs. Akigawa hugged him tightly. "No, no, dear. I'm sure it's all a coincidence…"

"No!" He yelled. "I killed him, and I should be punished for it!"

With that, he ran out of the house. Mrs. Akigawa tried to stop him, failed, then fell to her knees crying.

* * *

It was weird. All around him were burning building, Beowulves and Ursai were running amok. Around him, he could hear Nevermores and Griffons squawking around him. Newyn Rees did not understand the situation going on around him.

"Hey, you, stop."

Newyn looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a girl with glowing yellow hair, another girl who suddenly appeared from a bunch of rose petals, a cat faunus, and girl with a misty suit of armour behind her.

"We're here to take you in for your crimes."

"But…"

Suddenly, ropes impaled his chest, shooting electricity through his body, him to spasm. As he lay on the ground, slowly going unconscious, he saw a man walk up to him. He had a full head helmet on.

"You messed with the wrong huntsmen."

Then he kicked him in the head.

* * *

Newyn suddenly woke up. He looked around the alley where he slept.

"Weird," he said to himself. Then he went back to sleep.

As he slept, a hooded figure looked over him on a building. The figure then pulled out a scroll.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah, he's here. Yes ma'am, will do. Thank you."

The figure rushed off, ready to do their mistress's bidding...

* * *

Hello all. Qrow again. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As usual, let me know what you guys think.


	4. Decisions

Dranik was walking down the street. The only light was the lanterns on every other or so house. The only sound that he could hear was the rain falling around him. He was only interested in his thoughts. He ignored everyone around him. Many people tried to reach out to him, but he just kept walking, oblivious to his surroundings.

 _You know, he was just holding you back._

 _SHUT UP! I don't want to hear anymore from you, you stupid voice! How do I even know you're real?_

 _You don't. You could slowly be going insane. But heed what I say next. There will be a time, when you are a man, when you will have to fight, like your life counts on it. You will not be able to mourn the loss of every life you take. Now, will you put your feelings behind you and fight, or continue to be a pansy and mope for the rest of your life?_

Dranik thought for a minute. _You said you're me, just a different part, correct?_

 _Yes._

 _Then, if I die, so do you, correct?_

 _Dranik…_

 _Answer me!_

 _Yes._

 _Good._

WIth that, Dranik saw an oncoming shipping truck. Swiftly, he was in the road in front of the car. _Dammit, Dranik. Now I have to intervene._

Suddenly, a wall of earth erupted from the ground in front of him. Just barely getting enough time, the truck screeched to a halt, the front bumper barely grazing the rock. The driver got out, an old man with grey spiky hair that was receding. He started to yell at Dranik for being reckless and that he was going to report him to the authorities. Dranik tried to take him seriously, but with the man's eyes being constantly closed, he couldn't.

 _Fine. I'll fight._

 _Good boy._

With that, he began to walk away from the scene. The old man tried to stop him, but like everyone else, he just ignored him. He walked into the ruins of his old house and looked for his safe. It was made of iron, so of course no damage done by the fire. He grabbed a bunch of Lien and some papers. With the papers in hand Lien in his pocket, he walked down to the weapon shop.

"Sir, we're closed…"

Dranik slammed the papers and Lien on the counter. "I need these made. Now."

* * *

"So, how was the dinner party?"

"Aunty, you know I don't like those things. And you know how I feel about the Schnees."

Dygmann was back at his aunt's house in Atlas. He was slouched in one of the many leather recliners in the sitting room. "Stop slouching," his aunt said. "Anyway, with all that aside, how was it?"

He thought for a moment. "I met some interesting people there," he replied. _One in particular. He ruined my plan… Sorry, our plan._

"Ooh, what kind of people?" cooed his aunt. "Any girls?" She paused. "But if it's guys that fine too…"

"Oh, no Aunty, not anything like that. Just… interesting people."

"Well, that's good that you had a good time. Sorry I was late. I had to stay with Jacque for a bit longer."

"No, no it's fine Aunty, I understand. It's perfectly fine."

"Alright," she said, standing up and grabbing her glass of wine. "I'm heading to bed."

"Night Aunty."

He continued to sit there, until he eventually fell asleep in the chair. He woke up the next morning and made himself some breakfast. As he was eating, his aunt came downstairs, all groggy from over drinking the night before. She sat across from him at the table.

"So," she managed to get out. "Your parents called last night."

Dygmann froze. He hadn't heard anything from his parents for about three years now. "Yeah?" he replied, mouth full of cereal.

"They want me to send you home."

He spewed his cereal all over the table, getting some on his aunt.

"Eww. Now, go pack. I was told to have you hustle. Now, if you don't mind," she paused to hold back vomit. "I'll be in the restroom."

Dygmann didn't give her a response. He just sat there in shock as she rushed out of the room, panicking. Eventually, he went up to his room, and began to pack. As he was packing, his aunt walked in, this time slightly sober.

"You know, I always knew this day was coming. I knew that this was just a very long break. I never liked my brother. Always away, never had time for anyone. Why should he change now? Why can't you just stay here?"

She had burst into tears at this point. Dygmann got up to hug her. She held him close.

"I don't want you to go. You shouldn't have to."

"I know Aunty. How about just one more night?"

Tears still running down her face. She nodded. "I don't see why not."

As he slept that night, he dreamt of himself in the woods. It was dark and he couldn't see his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard growls all around him. He grew scared. Around him were tons of Beowulves. Unwillingly, he suddenly drew out a long katana. Then, he jumped at one of them. Hacking and slashing, he brutally dissected each one of the individual Beowulves, leaving the ground full of mangled body parts, which soon dissipated into black smoke. Catching his breath, he heard a twig snap. He looked behind him.

Standing there was a figure with a hood and a silver mask, holding a knife. They lunged him. He felt a sharp sting as their blade dug into his arm. Shaking it off, he swung his katana, cutting off a hand in the process. With a bloody stump, the figure still attempted to fight him. Slashing aimlessly, every attack missed. Eventually, he just stuck his sword into their chest and forced the blade upwards. From the stab wound up, the figure was cut in half. They fell to the ground. He spat on their body, then walked off.

* * *

When he woke up, he could immediately tell something was wrong. Normally, on a Sunday morning, his aunt would be blasting jazz music in the kitchen while cooking breakfast.

"Aunty?" he called. "Aunty?"

He walked around the house to investigate. He checked the kitchen. Nothing. Then the bathroom. Nothing. Each room after the next. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Eventually, he found her in her room, but what he saw made him vomit on the spot.

She was cut in half from the belly button up. He immediately left the room and called the paramedics. They arrived on scene, and after one of them threw up, they put the body in a body bag and hauled it out of the house. One of them asked him what happened.

"I don't know," he answered. "I just woke up and I found her there."

"Are you sure no one broke into the house?"

"No, sir. I didn't see or hear anything."

"Alright. Well, is there anywhere where we can take you to stay?"

"Well, there are my parents…"

"Where are they?"

"In a small village outside of Atlas."

"Ok, well, we'll get you on the next airship out."

He finished packing, then a taxi took him to the airship depot. As he was getting on the airship, he saw a figure sprint onto the airship. _Weird…_

* * *

 _They'll never catch me._ Newyn thought to himself. _I'll get out of this godforsaken place and go to that village outside of the city._

As he made his place in the cargo hold, he was constantly looking over his shoulder. Finally, he felt safe and sat down amongst the luggage. Suddenly, a rat ran across his feet. He got scared and screamed. He felt a tingling sensation as he did this.

Then, the airship started to plummet downwards. _What's going on?_

"Passengers," the captain said. "We're experiencing power outages in the engines. Please hang on while we re-route power."

 _I'm going to die. I am legit going to die._

 _No you're not._

 _Who is this?_

 _I am… well, I'm you._

 _Huh?_

 _Never mind. I would hang on if I were you._

Hanging on tightly, he braced for impact. Suddenly, the airship leveled out.

"We now have achieved level altitude. The fasten seatbelt sign is still on as we will be rising in altitude."

Newyn sighed in relief. When his heart rate finally settle, he pulled out one of his daggers and fiddled with it. Eventually, he fell asleep.

* * *

Day in, day out. All that went through his mind was "train." Train, train, train. Non-stop. He was not focused on anything but training. After the incident with Mr. Akigawa, he wanted to be a Huntsman. To save lives, not take them.

"Mr. Joshua J. Akigawa was a good friend, great man, horrible father, and terrible husband. Outside of the home, he was the cheeriest man you could meet. However, he was the opposite inside his house. He was abusive, both verbally and physically. Not once did we ever get a good report from the home once Ekiyo Tokugawa was placed in his care. The only reason the boy was left in the home was Mr. Akigawa's wife, Julie Akigawa. It is a mournful loss, but a necessary one."

Ekiyo had barely arrived at the funeral after training time. Not that he wanted to. Why would he want to go to the funeral of the man he murdered? After the funeral, he went back to training with his weapon, in both staff form and nunchuck form. He hardly ever went home, only to eat dinner and sleep. If he wasn't studying, he was training. He eventually found ways to use his tail to fight as well.

He would go to Shade Academy and become a great Huntsman, and Oum help whoever stood in his way...

* * *

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's all my stockpiled chapters. Now begins the weekly cycle.

I am also taking ideas for additional OC's, as this is what the story is fundamentally about. To have an OC's in the story, please fill out this form.

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Height:

Weight:

Faunus Form(if Faunus):

Weapon:

Semblance:

I will try to make teams to the best of my abilities. Thank you all again.


	5. Bonding

Jacque Schnee was sitting in his office when he heard a knock at the door.

"Yes, come in." In walked in a young man.

"So Nero, why did you want to talk to me? With all the work you are doing, you deserve the break, so please Nero. Go back and enjoy the party."

"Normally I would take you up on your offer sir. But there's just the matter that I just stopped one of your esteemed guests from literally stabbing you daughter in the back."

Jacques leaned over the desk and turned his ear to Nero. "Nero, my boy, I'm afraid I didn't hear you right," he said pulling Nero in close. "I thought you said that a person I invited into MY house attempted to stab MY daughter."

"It seems you heard me right, sir."

"Then, where are they?"

"He left sir. I kicked him out."

"Let me get this straight. Instead of bringing him to me, you let him go free. In case you forgot Nero, your job is to protect my daughter. And if some no good hooligan attempts to harm my daughter, your job is to…" Jacques was stopped by a familiar throat clearing.

"What's this all about?" Weiss asked stepping into view.

"Nothing to worry about, pumpkin. I was just talking to Nero."

"Ok, well I need his help. So I'll just take him with me now, if you don't mind."

"No, not at all. Hurry back."

Weiss and Nero walked out of the ballroom and down the hall to Weiss's room.

"So, what did you need help with?"

"I didn't. I just thought you would like to be spared my father's wrath."

"Thanks, I guess..."

"So, what was that about?" Weiss asked him.

"Someone may or may not of..." Nero looked down and mumbled. "Tried to stab you."

Shocked and wide-eyed, Weiss replied. "Wait what? Why would anyone… What do you mean?"

"A guest walked up behind you with a knife and if I didn't catch him, he most likely would have stabbed you."

Weiss stood there taking in what he said but he could see that she was losing it. She looked scared, as he walked towards her, she collapsed. He caught her before she hit the ground. She looked into his eyes, and all he could see was her eyes welling up with tears. She pushed her head as far as she could into Nero's shoulder.

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know, just please don't let go."

"Don't worry I won't, I promise."

* * *

"Attention, passengers we have arrived at our destination. Please depart the ship in a calm and orderly fashion. We hope you enjoyed your flight. Thank you."

Dygmann stood up and grabbed his luggage. He left the airship and walked out of the terminal. He looked over the railing of the walkway he was on. Before him, he saw a humble little village. He still wondered how his parents stood it here.

When he finally reached the village, he asked around for his parents. Eventually, he reached his new home. He knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again. No answer. He decided to just try and open the door. It creaked open. He walked in. On the kitchen table, there was a note.

 _Dear Son,_

 _We know that you were expecting to see us again, after all this time, but we're sorry. Ironwood asked us to take care of a problem on the border. There is plenty of food in storage for you to last until we get back. After all the time you spent with your aunt, we figured that you could fend for yourself. We'll be back soon._

 _Love,_

 _Mom and Dad_

 _(P.S.- If there's ever trouble, there is a mace in the cellar.)_

Dygmann sighed. After all this time, all this trouble, he still didn't get to see his parents again. He just sat at the table. Then, when he read the note again, he got mad and flipped the table. Finally, he just curled up and started crying. He started drifting up, then fell asleep.

When he woke up, he saw the mess in the kitchen. "What happened here?" he thought out loud. He just shrugged and cleaned everything up, then ate. He was sitting around the house when he suddenly heard screams outside. He ran out to see the commotion.

Down the road were burning buildings, with Grimm running rampant everywhere. Dygmann ran down to the cellar and grabbed the mace. It felt weird in his hands, but he managed to do a few practice swings. He ran back outside and down the road.

There were huntsmen/women fighting Grimm everywhere. He managed to down a couple baby Beowulves. Then, in the distance, he saw two familiar figures.

"Mom?" he yelled. "Dad?"

"Son!" his father yelled back. "Get out of here! Get to safety!"

"No! I'm not going to leave you guys again! I can help!"

Suddenly, he heard a growl. He looked in the direction of the noise. An alpha Beowulf was preparing to pounce at him. Suddenly, it fell to the side. In between him and the Beowulf stood a young man, about his age, fifteen. He wore dulled gold armor, with his hair in a ponytail. He wielded two barbed daggers, glaring at the Beowulf who now had a gash in it's face.

"Go," he said simply, glancing at Dygmann.

"No," he replied. "I need to help my parents."

"There's no time. Plus, I'm sure that they can handle themselves. We need to get out of here." He grabbed Dygmann's arm.

He tugged himself out of his grip. "Get off me. I'm helping them, whether you like it or not." As he tried to walk towards his parents, the teen stood in front of him.

"No."

"Fine, I'll just have to kill you, then help them." He swung his mace at him. Since he was off balance, the teen dodged the attack then struck Dygmann with the pummel of his dagger. Dazed, he still tried to fight him, stumbling more and more. "You'll have to do better than that."

"Alright then," the teen replied. He turned his daggers into swords and put them together, making a bow. He pulled out a blunt tipped arrow. He drew back and fired. This was the finishing blow. Dygmann fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Dygmann slowly opened his eyes, and grabbed his head.

"Ugh… headache…," he said.

"Careful now. Wouldn't want to do more damage now."

He looked in the direction of the voice. There, sitting in a rocking chair, was the teen from before.

"You."

"Yes, me. My name is Newyn Rees. I brought you to a house outside of town and mended to your wounds."

"Oh, you mean the wounds that YOU gave me? Yeah, how freaking considerate of you!"

"I understand the hostility, but please, let me explain. The town was breached by Grimm and your parents were the first to respond. They called other huntsmen/women to help fight them. Eventually there were too many Grimm. After I brought you here, I went back to help. And…" He muttered a bit.

"What? And what?!"

"And, I was told to give you these." Newyn pulled out two shotguns from the floor. He handed them to Dygmann. "I'm sorry, I tried to help."

Dygmann froze. This was the proof he needed. His parents were dead, and not coming back. "Why didn't you let me help?"

"You were using a weapon you weren't trained with. I couldn't let you fight like that."

Dygmann nodded in understanding. "Well, I guess I should thank you."

"No need. Knowing that you trust me is enough. Thank you, Dygmann Aquino."

He didn't even ask. He could guess who told him. He just laid back down and relaxed, falling back to sleep.

* * *

A hooded figure stood at the edge of a purple table. "Mistress," they said. "All of the preparations are complete. Everything is in order."

"Good," a woman at the other end of the table said. "You've done well. Now, go to Vale and start the preparations there."

The hooded figure nodded, and left.

"You don't have much time left, Ozpin. You have your warriors, I have mine. No amount of huntsman and huntresses will prevent what I have in store for you. Be ready."

* * *

A tall man with white hair paced his office in Beacon Academy. He sipped his coffee.

 _Something's not right._ He thought to himself. _What could it be? What could it be?_

"Ozpin?" a female voice said from behind him. "Ironwood's here to see you."

"Thank you, Glynda," he replied. "Oh, and could you also send Oobleck and Port as well?"

"Yes, Ozpin."

"Thank you, and I'd like you to sit in as well."

"Of course."

 _This will take more minds to go over. What is going to happen next?_

* * *

This week's chapter is finally out! I hope you all enjoy. Please, if you enjoy or just even remotely like this story, share it with your friends. And always remember to tell me what you think. Can't improve if I don't know what you want. And also, make sure to check my requests chapter. Adieu, and enjoy.


	6. Vacuo

"Hyaa"

"Umph!"

"Ekiyo Tokugawa is the winner of this match."

Ekiyo reached out to his opponent who was trying to catch his breath on the floor. He swatted his hand. Ekiyo just shrugged and walked out of the ring.

"That was some good fighting."

Ekiyo looked at who was talking. It was a tall man with white hair and circular glasses, holding a coffee mug. "That was a good show you put on. It takes extreme talent to put down a foe bigger than yourself. How do you do it?"

"I just focus on his weak points and exploit them. It's really easy actually."

"Hmm," the man said. "You wouldn't happen to want to go to Shade Academy, would you?"

"Perhaps. Why?"

"The headmaster is a good friend of mine. I'm sure I could get you in this year if you're interested."

"I'll need to think about it. That is a big decision."

"I understand. I'll be in town for a few weeks. When you decide, it shouldn't be too hard to find me."

"Alright, thank you."

"Of course."

As the man walked away, he thought to himself. _Well, there's clue number one..._

* * *

"So, Newyn, what are we going to do now?" Dygmann asked, still lying in bed. "It's obvious we can't stay here, and I have no left in Atlas. I'm sure the Schnee's hate me. The police will try to detain for questioning after the death of my aunt. I have nothing left."

"I know a place in Vacuo. I have an old friend. We can go there."

"What about transportation? And self-defense? You might be good at fighting, but I still haven't gotten weapons I'm good with."

"You could learn how to use those shotguns." Newyn pointed to the two shotguns on the floor. "I think that's our best bet. Plus," he hesitated to make sure he said the right thing. "There has to be a reason your father wanted me to give these to you."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Dygmann looked at the ground. "But, my father said that they only worked for him. There was something that was passed down in our family that held the secret to the shotguns."

"Well," Newyn replied. "There might be some clues on the shotguns. Or at your house. It wouldn't hurt to check."

"Maybe it wouldn't, but I don't want to go back home. I just want to leave this place forever."

"Well… there may be another option."

Dygmann looked at Newyn, confused. "I just said that only my father knew how to get these to work. How could there possibly be another way?"

"Well, I have another friend in Vale who is a bit of a weapon nut. Well, his niece is. I meet him one time, about a year ago, when he was passing through town. He asked for directions to the local tavern, so I showed him the way. In return, he lied to get me in and paid for drinks. He told me he was from Vale and that he was on a mission for an old friend. He had two nieces who lived in Patch, and that he taught a school called "Signal" and he taught his niece everything he knew of weapons. So, I bet we can find him and ask him for help, and if not, we ask around for his niece."

"Hmm. That could work. Do you have a way for us to get to Vale?"

"Look on the shotguns."

Dygmann looked back at the shotguns. On top of them were two tickets. They both had the Vale kingdom crest on them.

Newyn smiled. "I'd start packing. The airship leaves in a few hours."

* * *

It was a stormy night in Vale. It had been storming the last few nights, which the people of the city quickly grew accustomed to. Most stayed outside, while there were still those who ran errands, trying not to get too wet and not be blown away by the hazardous winds.

A man slammed his glass down on a counter in a bar in a run-down part of the city. The bartender looked at him.

"I need another one," he told the bartender.

"But sir, that's your twentieth one. I believe you've had enough."

The man leaned over the bar. "Look bub, you know the deal. I give you Lien, you give me drinks."

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Now."

"Fine. I'll go now." The man stumbled off of the stool and almost fell onto the table behind him. He straightened up and managed to get out of the door. Once outside, he fell onto the wet sidewalk and fell unconscious.

Two teenagers walked up to him. One nudged him with their foot, turning his body over. "Yup, that's him," they said to the other.

The other one nudged him, slowly waking him up. "What do you want?" He slurred.

"Are you Qrow? Qrow Branwen?"

"I might be. What *hic* does it matter to you?"

"My name is Newyn Rees. I believe you owe me a favor."

* * *

"Sir, they're finished."

Dranik had nodded off. He was quickly awoken by the weapon smith. He stood up as he walked over to him, holding something covered in a cloth wrap.

"Here they are. Two fully functional bladed gauntlets with all the modifications you asked for. I'll tell you though, that last paper, the schematics were a bit singed, so I did the best with what I had."

Dranik looked over the weapons. "Don't worry," he said. "They're perfect. May I test them?"

The smith smirked. "Of course. There are holographic dummies in the back."

"Thanks," Dranik replied as he grabbed his weapons and walked towards the direction. He put the gauntlets on. When he approached the first dummy, he quickly brought his blades out of sheathed position, which meant the blade segmentally wrapped around the gauntlet, and swiped at the neck of the first dummy, causing the whole neck to light up red, showing that significant damage had been dealt. He continued, swipe after swipe, light after light until he was sweating and panting from exhaustion. He went and sat down on the bench in the corner.

Eventually, he regained his energy, his Aura doing most of the work in that area. When he stood back up, he decided it was time to try something new. He took the blades off the gauntlet and pressed a button on the handles of the swords. Hissing sounds were heard as the blade started to segment itself, curving into a sickle shape. He smirked.

Interesting choice in weaponry, I must say. Did you design these yourself?

Oh great, you again. How many times have I told you I don't want to hear you in my head?

You can't get rid of me. You know that. I would've thought you had learned that by now.

Ugh. Why do find my weapons interesting anyway? They're just standard weaponry according to my grandfather.

Isn't it peculiar that you choose to wield a scythe and yet everyone around you seems to die?

What does that have to do with anything?

Never mind. So, where do you plan to go, Dranik? Obviously, there's nothing left for you here in Mistral.

That doesn't mean I can't stay here. That doesn't mean anything.

You forget, Dranik. I live in your head. I know you want to learn what your grandfather knew. You want to learn his skills. You want to become a huntsman.

So? I can become a huntsman at Haven Academy.

Yet, you want to go where your grandfather went. You want to go to Vacuo. You want to train at Shade Academy because you believe that there will be nobody left that you can hurt.

See, this why I want you out of my head. So that you can't bring up things that I haven't fully decided on yet. So that sometimes I just forget things.

You know you don't want me to leave. You like that I know you better than anyone else.

"SHUDDUP!" Dranik quickly combined his weapon together, causing them to click and hiss as the two weapons locked to each other, growing in size. Eventually, he was holding a giant scythe. "Nyaa!" He struck heavily at the dummy, breaking the holographic projector.

The weapon smith rushed into the room. "What just happened?!"

"Nothing. Just… got a little bit mad. That's all."

"That," he replied, pointing towards the broken projector, "doesn't look 'little'."

Dranik glared at him. "Nothing happened," he growled. "I'll take my leave now."

As he was walking out, the weapon smith stuck out his arm. "Look," he said. "I know someone who may be able to help you with whatever is going on. She lives in Vacuo if you're interested." The weapon smith pulled a card out of his pocket. "Here's her address. Tell her I sent you and that I said 'Hey'."

"Fine. I'll look into it." Dranik quickly left the store. The weapon smith watched as he walked out of the store and paused. He looked left, then looked right, then down at the card in his hands. Eventually, he began to walk to the right, towards the airship dock.

* * *

"So, what do you want?" Qrow slurred. "You obviously didn't come here just to catch up on *hic* life."

"Look, Qrow, we need some help," Newyn said. "His weapons, they won't function for him. So, I was thinking, since you know so much about weapons, that you could help him."

"Let me *hic* see one."

"I don't know about that, sir," Dygmann said, a little squeakily. "I don't know if I exactly trust a drunk man with a shotgun."

"You *hic* idiot. If they don't work, how the heck will they *hic* work for me? Just let me see one." Reluctantly, Dygmann hand Qrow one of his shotguns. "Ah. I see now. Wait, you wouldn't happen to be Raymond Aquino's boy, would you? 'Cuz he's only one I knew to ever own these."

"Yeah, I am. Wait, how do you know my father?"

"Kid, your father was a renowned huntsman in Mantle. Of course, I knew him. He actually taught me how to use these. See these symbols?" He pointed towards a symbol on the side of the shotgun. "This is your family's crest. It's the Dark Omega. When a weapon is branded with the Dark Omega, only the last living male of the family can wield the weapon. Said male must sacrifice some of their blood to the weapons for them to function."

"What?" Dygmann exclaimed. "That can't be right."

"It is. Look, it only takes a few drops. I was with your father when he first used these shotguns."

Dygmann looked at Newyn. He nodded at him. Dygmann sighed. "Fine. I'll do it then. Give me one your daggers, Newyn."

Newyn handed him a dagger. He ran the tip of the blade across his palm, creating a decent sized cut. He held his bleeding hand over the shotguns, dripping blood onto them. They began to glow a dark red.

"See kid? I was right. And I thought you didn't trust a *hic* drunk?"

"It's not that I didn't trust you, Qrow. I was just... slightly skeptical. Maybe I just didn't want to... maybe..."

"Come on, kid. I'm not in the mood for a sob story. Just spit it out."

"Well, maybe I just didn't want to think that I'm the last living male in my family. Maybe, I didn't want to believe that my father was actually dead!"

The room fell silent. Qrow and Dygmann looked at each other. "Look, kid, I get that. I really do. But now you just have to accept it. You have been left a great task. You have to become a huntsman."

Dygmann looked at Qrow. He stared intently into his eyes. "I'll do it. Teach me."

"I can't kid. You need proper training. I'll take you to a friend of mine in Vacuo. She has a boy who's joining Shade at the start of the year. He got in early. I'm sure we could find ways of getting you two in as well."

Newyn and Dygmann huddled together and started whispering. Finally, they both turned to Qrow. "Alright, Qrow. We'll do it. Take us to Vacuo."

* * *

Ekiyo was sitting in the living room of his house when he heard a knock at the door.

"Mom!" he yelled. "Someone's at the door!"

"I'll be there in a second!" she replied. She came down the stairs and walked to the door, opening it. Standing outside was a tall-ish man in an Atlas military uniform with black hair with what looked like a metal plate on the right side of his forehead. "Oh, James! What are you doing here?"

"Well, Mrs. Akigawa, I was informed that Ekiyo won the fight and will hopefully be attending Shade Academy this year," James replied. "I was in the area, so I came to congratulate him"

"Forget the formalities, James. You know you can call me by my first name. And what's this about Ekiyo attending Shade?"

"He didn't tell you, Alice? He won the qualifier fight for the regional tournament today and was offered a chance to go to Shade Academy and become a huntsman."

Mrs. Akigawa looked at Ekiyo. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"I hadn't made a decision yet. I didn't want to get your hopes up Mom. Anyways, who is this guy?"

James stepped forwards. "My name is General James Ironwood, Atlas military." He stuck out his hand. "I'm also headmaster of Atlas Academy."

Ekiyo shook his hand hesitantly. "Is that the only reason you're here, General?"

James shook his head. "No. I have to speak with your mother privately, if you would be so kind."

Ekiyo nodded in understanding. "Of course." He left the room.

Mrs. Akigawa looked at James. "What do you need to talk to me about James? Is everything okay?"

"Of course, Alice," he said sitting down. "It's about Qrow."

"What about him?"

"He sent forth a message. He's sending two boys to come stay with you. Says that they have potential and that they should train with Ekiyo."

"But why Ekiyo of all people? Couldn't there be anyone else?"

"Well, Alice, I'm sure our mutual friend informed you about the situation, correct?"

"Yes."

At this point, Ekiyo was sitting in the hallway outside of the sitting room, out of sight, listening.

"Well, then I should inform you that he believes that Ekiyo is related to this. Qrow believes the same about these two boys. This cannot be coincidence. There's more to this than we think, Alice. Dark times are coming. I want to make sure that we have a chance."

"Of course, James. Okay, I'll take these two boys in."

"Three, actually."

Alice paused for a minute. "Three?"

"Yes. One of my operatives in Mistral is sending one your way as well. You will house all three boys, along with Ekiyo. Sorry, will you?"

"Yes, of course James."

"Thank you, Alice. I should be on my way now. One of my scientists is working on an important project, and would like me to see his new developments to he- it."

"I understand, James. Thank you for stopping by."

Alice lead James to the door, with Ekiyo scrambling down the hallway. After James left, Mrs. Akigawa retreated to her room. Ekiyo decided to go to bed.

A few hours later, Ekiyo was suddenly woken up by sounds in the kitchen. He got up to investigate. In the kitchen, he saw a familiar form, but unfamiliar features. The figure was a woman in a red dress with short black hair and orange-yellow eyes. "Hello?" he said.

"Oh Ekiyo, sorry for waking you," the lady said. "I was just coming home."

"Mom?"

"Yes dear. Sorry, I went out to a party tonight. I just got home."

"Oh no, it's fine Mom. Hope you had fun. Good night."

"Good night dear."

When he went up to his room, Mrs. Akigawa pulled out her scroll and check her new message. It read:

 _Execute the plan immediately. Afterwards, you're to start your search for her._

 _Do not fail me._

Mrs. Akigawa smiled, her eyes glistening. She wrote back:

 _With pleasure._

* * *

When Qrow got off the airship, he looked around. Vacuo was pretty much the same as when he had left: bleak, boring, and, oh yeah, sandy. Very sandy. Then again, what else was to be expected of the desert kingdom.

He looked back to Newyn and Dygmann. "Well, kids, here it is. Vacuo, in all of its glory." He pointed to a giant building in the distance. "That building over there, that's Shade Academy."

He led down into the residential area. They all stopped in front of a decent sized house. It was two stories tall, and looked to have about six bedrooms. Qrow knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again. Again, no answer.

He turned to the boys. "Well, guys, looks like…"

"Qrow, is that you?"

He quickly turned around. The door had opened, and a woman was standing in the doorway. "Is that the old drunkard I remember from my cousin's wedding?"

"Alice. Yeah, it's been a while, but I'm not here for catch-up. I'm here to drop off these two boys."

"Don't you mean three?"

"No…," he turned around. "I said thr…"

Standing next to Newyn and Dygmann was a robed figure in all black. He looked at Qrow. "I was told to come to this address." He held up a card with the address scribbled on it.

"Oh, you must be the one that Ironwood told me about. Come right in." Alice looked at Qrow. "Are you coming in?"

"No," he replied. "I'll be leaving now." He looked at Newyn and Dygmann. "You two behave yourselves now." With that, he walked off.

Alice looked at the three of them. "So…" she paused. "Who wants cake?"

* * *

There was a knock at the door. Alice woke up. She heard the knock again. She looked down at her clothes. She was in the same clothes as the night before. Pulling out a Dust vial, she quickly changed clothes, put on her wig and her contacts. She ran and opened the door.

"Qrow is that you?"

* * *

Glynda briskly walked down the hallway. Pushing a button on the elevator, she tapped her foot as it went up. Finally, the elevator stopped and the doors opened to a large office. Sitting at the desk was the tall white-haired man.

"Ozpin?" she asked.

Ozpin swiveled his chair around. "Yes, Glynda?" he replied.

She pulled a piece of paper out of the folder that she was holding, handing it to him. "Here's the full reports of the four boys, just like you asked. Why do you want them anyway?"

Ozpin looked over the paper. After reading it all, he looked at her. "All in due time. First, tell me. What do you know of the creatures of Grimm?"

Shocked, she replied, "Only what anyone knows. They are creatures of darkness that sense our negative emotions. The ones that survive evolve, or well, just become stronger."

"Yes. Good. What if I told you there was more? That they may actually ev…"

The elevator dinged and opened. "Ozpin…"

Ozpin and Glynda looked over. In the doorway stood General Ironwood. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I can step out…"

Ozpin waved his hand. "No, James, it's fine." He looked at Glynda. "We'll talk more about this later. Now, sit down James, what do you want to talk about?"

Ironwood waited until Glynda left. "I met with the boy."

"The Vacuo boy?"

"Yes. And Alice was there."

"Of course, she was. She's been the boy's foster mother for some time now. What is the point of this James?"

"Oz, Alice wasn't herself. She always kept everything strictly professional, yet when I met her this time, she said t forget the formalities. She was way more laidback than before. Oz, I don't think this was actually Alice."

Ozpin took a minute to think about what James had said. Finally, he turned back to Ironwood. "James, I believe that we should wait and see. If anyone of the boys end up in danger, then we intervene. But until we're sure that our Alice is an imposter, we can't do anything."

Ironwood slammed his fist on the desk. "Dammit Oz! How many times do I have to tell you? We have to act before bad things happen. Bad things like the Great War!"

There was silence as Ozpin recollected himself. "James. Jumping on things such as this causes events such as the Great War. Waiting to see what develops is a better tactic. If we want to avoid conflict, we use it."

Ironwood shook his head. "Alright, Oz. Do what you will. But, when your plan fails, and it will, we use MY tactic. Goodbye Oz."

As Ironwood left, Ozpin shook his head, and muttered to himself, "Oh, these are dark times indeed."

* * *

A man sat in his office, miles and miles away from where Ozpin sat. He shuffled through all his papers, looking for something. Suddenly, someone burst into his office, out of breath.

"Professor Korvac!" *pant* *pant* "The Grimm. They're attacking a town just a few miles out of the city."

Korvac stood up. "Well, then we'd better help them, now shouldn't we?"

* * *

Alice Akigawa stood in the woods near a town in Vacuo, calmly watching. She looked at the herd of Beowulves and Ursai behind her.

"Let's get this started, shall we?"


	7. Acceptance

Dranik sat on the couch, flipping through the channels on the T.V., bored out of his mind, when he came across the news channel. Slightly intrigued with the segment about weapon mods, he decided to leave it there.

"Wow, you must be bored out of your mind to be watching the news," said a voice behind him. He turned to look at the person who spoke. It was Ekiyo. He walked over to sit on the couch. "Like, seriously, weapon mod tutorials? I don't understand how people can watch these things." He paused. "You don't mind me sitting down here, do you?"

Dranik finally spoke. "Oh, no, no. It's fine. It's your place after all." He looked around, not knowing what to say. "You're Ekiyo, right? The scorpion Faunus? Where's your tail?"

Ekiyo chuckled a bit. "You know, Newyn actually just asked me the same thing. And…"

"That I did, and your way of doing it is smart, yet stupid, and would definitely be a turn-off for the ladies." Dranik and Ekiyo both looked at the voice. It was Newyn. "Do you know what he does? He takes advantage of those," pointing at Ekiyo's baggy cargo pants. "and coils it around his leg. Imagine, being his girlfriend, going downstairs for the first time, not knowing he's a Faunus. He'll be a virgin forever." Newyn shuddered. "I'm Newyn, by the way," he said extending his hand out. "You must be Dranik, the creepy emo scythe wielder, who tends to talk to himself."

"Um… yeah," he replied shaking Newyn's hand, while rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "How… how do you know so much about me? Like, that was spot on."

"I may have sneaked a peek at Qrow's scroll on the way here. That's how his friend described you at least."

"His… friend?"

Newyn shook his head. "I dunno, some guy in Mistral I guess."

"Mistral… dammit. It was the blacksmith guy."

"Blacksmith guy?"

"Yeah, he was the one who made these for me." He quickly took his gauntlets out of sheathed mode. The other two gasped.

"Woah, now that is awesome," Newyn said.

"No, it's actually Atlas tech. You wouldn't happen to have gotten those from a certain James Flynn, would you?"

Not looking at the person who talked, Dranik replied saying, "You must be Dygmann." He turned. "Now, could you describe this James Flynn?"

"Oh, you know, tall, a bit pale, probably wore his hair in a military fashion."

"Yep, that's the guy."

"Well, those gauntlets you're wearing are using Atlas, military-grade titanium Dust alloy. That tech is still in the prototype stage, so please feel grateful. Many would kill to get their hands on those," Dygmann stated. "Take very good care of those."

"I will."

"Good," he said, clapping his hands together. "Now, where can I get some good grub?"

"Actually…" Just then, a loud fanfare blared from the T.V.

"Breaking news. A large amount of Grimm has attacked a small village just outside of the city limits. Huntsmen from Shade Academy and afar have just arrived on the scene, but their efforts are not enough. The Vacuo Council has ordered an immediate evacuation of the village, but not many have survived. If there are any huntsmen or huntresses out there who can help, you are needed. More news, coming soon." Then the screen cut black.

The four of them looked at each other. "Dude, we have to do something," Ekiyo said to the others.

"What help could we do?" asked Dygmann. "Us, four untrained warriors, what could we possibly do?"

"Oh, shut up, Newyn," Dygmann replied. "You know damn well that you and I can handle ourselves."

"You could barely survive one Grimm, let alone a whole horde of them! How stupid do you have to be?"

"Actually," Dranik said. "If we all sparked the interests of Ironwood and Qrow, I really think we can do this." He looked at Ekiyo. "You were accepted into Shade early." Then at Dygmann and Newyn. "And you two manage to survive a Grimm invasion and convince Qrow Branwen, from Team STRQ, to bring you here. We CAN do this. I know that I'm going to go. Are you guys going to come help?" The other three looked at each other, then nodded.

"We may not be ready," said Newyn. "But what better way to learn than on the job?" He patted Dygmann on the back. "We could use this to see the power of your shotguns." Dygmann nodded.

"Alright, I'll just go tell my mom that we're leaving," Ekiyo said. "You all should pack up. Just in case." With that, he went upstairs. The other three grabbed their packs and added whatever they need to them, food, water, ammo, etc. They were all waiting by the door, when finally, Ekiyo came downstairs.

"Guys, I can't find my mom. Did she come down here at all?"

The guys shook their heads. "Maybe it would be best if we didn't tell her," Dranik spoke up. "If she knew what we were trying to do, she would try to stop us."

"Fair point. I did leave her a note."

"Alright guys," Newyn said, clearing his throat. "If that's that, I _did_ steal a bit of Lien from Qrow. It's enough to take a shuttle to the town. Let's go." With that, they all left the house.

* * *

A sergeant of the local militia and one of privates from his squad were hiding behind a wall in the town, wary of all the Grimm.

"Sir, the Grimm have overrun our troops. The huntsmen may have to be used now rather than later!"

"Look Tien, we just have to hold them off a bit longer. I just got word that there's another shuttle on its way, from Shade. Word is, Jarvis Korvac is on that shuttle."

"Jarvis Korvac? As in the genetic engineer, who retired to teach at Shade? That Jarvis Korvac?"

"Why, who else?"

"Oh no, one…"

At that moment, a Boarbatusk charged right through the wall and sent the sergeant and the private flying. The private tries to stand up, then grunts and falls back to the ground. Worried, the sergeant stands up and rushed over to him.

The sergeant shoke him a little. "Private, are you okay?" The private didn't stir. The sergeant checked his pulse, then let go of the body. Shaking off his emotions, the sergeant stood back up, grabbed his rifle and started firing at the Grimm. He did not let up, until he heard the whirring of blades above him. He looked and saw a bunch of shuttles fly towards the village. Standing in one of them was a man wearing a bowler hat and a trenchcoat. All of the shuttles landed not too far from the battle. The man exited the one closest to the sergeant.

"Good day, sir," he said, tipping his hat to the sergeant. "The name is Korvac, Jarvis Korvac. How are you today? Don't answer that." He held up his hand. "We have more pressing matters at hand." He took off his hat and pulled a chrome hunting rifle. "You have an Ursa behind you."

Confused, the sergeant looked behind him, a little too late. He was knocked to the ground, and the Ursa was ready to attack when an arc of lightning shot the Grimm backwards. He looked back over to Korvac. He was in full metallic armor and holding a spear with electricity arcing across the length. He walked over to the sergeant, and held out his hand. "Sir, you have to get up." He helps the sergeant up, and directs him to the shuttles.

"Alright, you freaks. I will politely tell you what I'm about to do to you. FIrst, I'm going to make an incision here," he cuts off a Beowulf's head. "Then, I'll treat you with some acupuncture." He stabs his spear into the back of Ursa Major. "And, finally, I'm going to test your reflexes." He turns his spear into a hunting rifle and shoots an Alpha Beowulf in the knee.

Suddenly, he hears a whoosh over him. He looks up and sees a flaming shuttle crash into the forest at the other edge of the village. SIghing, Jarvis shook his head and fought his way through the horde to reach the wreckage.

* * *

"Dygmann, what the hell? Why did you kill the pilot?" Dranik yelled.

"What the fuck do you mean? I went to sleep and when I woke up, he was dead."

"Honest to Oum, I saw you stand up, pull out your shotgun and pull the trigger on the back of his

head, and them go and sit back down, and the rest is history."

"Well, what do we do now?" Ekiyo chimed in. "We're kind of crashing right now."

As he said this, the shuttle crashed into the ground, throwing them all over the place, knocking them all out.

A few minutes later, Newyn woke to the sound of tapping on glass. He looked to the source of the sound. He saw a man in armor tapping the glass with a spear. "Hello?" he said. "I do believe that you are in quite a pickle."

"Well, no shit Sherlock, of course we are," Newyn replied. "Can you get us out?"

"First of all, the name is Jarvis Korvac, not whoever Sherlock is. And second, if you were a little more polite, I would help you."

"Okay, Korvac, will you fucking help us?!"

"Fine, fine, give me a minute." Korvac stepped away from the window and began tearing into the metal, opening up a hole in the hull of the ship. "Alright, now wake up your friends, and get on out of there. We need to get you boys to safety."

Newyn nudged all of the others awake, leading them out of the ship. As they followed Korvac away from the ship, a figure dropped in front of them. "Step away from the boys. Now." Korvac, not wishing for a fight, quickly complied. The figure stepped closer, revealing themselves as a woman with short black hair and a red dress. "Now, boys, I thought I told you to stay home."

Ekiyo, confused, asked, "Mom?"

The woman lifted her head, laughing, replied, "Ha, you really thought I was your mother? I killed your mother. You're almost as pathetic as her."

"What, what are you talking about?"

"It's quite simple, little Ekiyo. I. Killed. Your. Mother."

"Your monster!" Ekiyo rushed at the woman, his nunchucks flailing around. The woman quickly pushed him away, and kept walking towards the rest of the group.

"You all have no idea who you really are, do you?" she asked.

Dranik stepped forward, scythe in hand. "What the hell do you mean, lady? Who are we really?"

"That's not a question for me to answer, young one. You'll have to wait until the proper time. I'm simply here to see how well you fight."

As Ekiyo stood, he said, "Oh, you're about to find that out." The group all drew their weapons, rushing at the lady. Calm as ever, she pulled out two swords, and started parrying all of their attacks. "Dranik," Ekiyo called. "Use your sickles and draw her blades down." Dranik nodded in response, quickly separating his scythe. He dove towards the lady, caught her blades, and slid between her legs, disarming her. As he stood, he saw her look back at him with a scowl on her face. Dranik, panicking, quickly slid his scroll back into his pocket.

"I swear, I didn't see anything." Then, after dodging a fireball, he muttered under his breath, "But really, pink is your choice?" Angered, the lady slams her hand on the ground, sending the boys flying.

"You all disappoint me," she said. "I went easy on you, and yet I can still see that you not ready. I will be back. I do hope you all prepare. Tata, for now." Then, she walked off, leaving everyone in silence. Korvac quickly rushed over.

"Are you boys okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," Ekiyo relied. "Do you have anywhere we can go to rest?"

"Of course. Follow me."

* * *

Ozpin paced his office, worried. He saw the reports of the attack in Vacuo, and was worried about the boys in the care of Mrs. Tokugawa. Suddenly, he got a call on his computer. It was an anonymous caller. He answered, "Hello?"

"The boys are here. What do I do?"

"Why, accept them into Shade."


	8. Truth

It was a quiet ride in that shuttle ride to wherever Korvac was taking them. Everyone understood why though. They had just been attacked by someone who seemed to know they were, more than they did themselves. Dranik repeatedly tapped his foot, as a way to bring some noise to the uncomfortable silence. Korvac couldn't take it anymore. He coughed into his hand and asked: "Are we going to address the Goliath in the room?"

That was when Ekiyo snapped. "What the hell is there to talk about Korvac?! We were just attacked by someone who looked my damn mother, and none of us know why! Who knows how much she knows, who she is, or why she was here. Heck, she may even be the reason the Grimm even attacked that village. Those Grimm seemed too organized for mindless beings."

"Look, young one," Korvac replied. "While I may not know you very well, or at all really, I can say this. We will have our greatest huntsmen in the field looking for this woman. We will protect you from her. We will teach you how to defend yourselves if she comes back. You will not be alone in this fight."

"And yet," Dranik chimed in. "That makes me think we will even more. How can we trust you, Mr. Korvac? You just stood by as we fought that woman. How do we know you're not helping her!?"

"Look…"

"Dranik."

"Look, Dranik. I understand your concern. But if I was working with her, would I have been fighting the Grimm that she may have brought with her? Would I have even recommended to take you to a safe haven? Would I have helped you?"

"Well, maybe you fought them off so that way we could trust you, and now you're taking us to your guys' base. At least, that's what I believe." Dranik looked at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with Korvac.

Korvac looked over the group, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, he knew he had to tell them the full truth. "Look, boys, I need to tell everything that's about to happen, so that you can know and be able to trust me." He drew in a breath. "As you all may know, each kingdom has a school where Huntsmen and Huntresses are trained in all arts of combat in order to protect this world from the Grimm. I teach people at one such school, Shade Academy. I teach Advanced Combat and Genetics, in addition to being on call to aid in helping small villages hold back Grimm invasions, much like the one we experienced today." He paused. "I was also ordered to pick up for boys similar to your descriptions afterward to take you to Shade Academy."

Newyn perked up at that. "Who gave you our descriptions?"

"Well, they were given to me by someone known as Professor Ozpin, who was given the descriptions by a Qrow Branwen."

"And why were you ordered to take us to Shade?"

"Why, my boys, you are going to be the next generations of heroes!"

* * *

Ozpin stood in his office, sipping his coffee and looking out the window. He was deep in thought, waiting for something to happen.

The elevator in his office chimed. He turned to look to see who it was. Much to his surprise, it was not one, but two people.

"Qrow, Glynda, I was not expecting you. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Oz," Qrow said softly. "Mrs. Tokugawa… she, she wasn't who we thought she was."

Ozpin looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Qrow sighed, pulling out his flask, taking a quick drink, then sat down. He looked at Ozpin, then spoke. "Our source in Vacuo told us that there was a Grimm invasion on a small town outside the main city. Except this wasn't any ordinary attack. He believes that a human managed to organize this attack and lead the Grimm to the village. In addition to that, the four boys that you had me deliver to Mrs. Tokugawa were there, and they told our source that the supposed leader of the Grimm was Mrs. Tokugawa herself, or at least, someone similar looking." He paused, looking between Glynda and Ozpin, then looking at the ground before speaking again. "In order to confirm this, I went to the Tokugawa residence, and… when I showed up, it was, it was… burnt to the ground. This is all that was left." He handed Ozpin a container of fluid. Ozpin examined it.

"It's, it's contact fluid," he remarked. "And inside…"

"Yeah Oz," Qrow replied. "That's her eye color."

Ozpin shook his head. "This brings bad tidings."

This is when Glynda finally spoke up. "Ozpin, what is even going on? Why are these boys so important?"

Ozpin sighed, then sat at his desk. He laced his fingers, then spoke. "As you two know, we are against a great threat, Salem. And we know that this threat isn't without great power. Well, there's another prophecy that I have not told you all about yet." Pausing, he made sure the two listeners were paying attention. Boy, they sure were. "This prophecy has to do with Salem, of course, but more so the end of the world. The apocalypse. Armageddon. Whatever you may call it. It states that five powerful beings will enter this world, one of light, four of darkness. These beings are to fight at the end of this world, to decide what is start in the next. The four of darkness are made by Salem, Grimm infused with Dust to create humanoid bodies for the Grimm. They are supposed to ride on steads of darkness and toll the bells of destruction, signalling the end. The one of light is supposed to stand up to the four, defeating them, and bring us into an age of peace."

Qrow interrupted. "So, what you're saying is, is that you believe that those four innocent boys are going to end the world? And you aren't going to do anything to stop it?"

Ozpin stared right through Qrow. "Do you not remember what happens when one tries to tamper with a prophecy? They are punished for eternity." He looked away from Qrow and Glynda after he said that. "All we can do now, is hope we're right, and that we can now keep tabs on all five beings of the prophecy."

Confused, Glynda asked, "Wait, all five of them? Where's the fifth one?"

"Why, he's at Schnee manor, of course. He's the heiress's personal butler."

* * *

"Everything is in place, madam."

"Good. You know your orders. You are to go to Vale and recover the Fall Maiden, regardless of any obstacles that may be in your path." The person speaking turned to look at the other person, who was a female wearing a red dress with a blue flower. "I'm sure you know what to do when you have her."

The lady bowed, with a hint of glow in her orange eyes. "Of course." With that, she stepped out of the room. The other person turned back to look out a window.

"I do hope you know what you are doing Ozpin. You know that you cannot win this time. The end has only just begun."


	9. Epilogue - Author's Note

Hey, guys. My name is Cameron Whistler, the mind behind "The ENDD Chronicles." I do hope you enjoyed the first part of the series, and there will be edits and added content in the future. If you guys have ideas for OCs or events that you'd like to see in the story, let me know, and I'll make time to get to your guys ideas. I will be starting part two "The Creation of the ENDD" soon as well. Thank you all again for reading this story and I hope to see your ideas and edits in the future!

7-25-2018


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